About the Author

Michael Jones was awarded a history PhD by Bristol University, and subsequently taught at Glasgow University and Winchester College. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a member of the British Commission for Military History, and works now as a writer, media consultant and presenter. He has written books on the battles of Bosworth, Agincourt and Stalingrad, the siege of Leningrad and the battle for Moscow, as well as Total War: From Stalingrad to Berlin. Most recently he has co-authored The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III.

Reviews

A compelling and little-told account of a few days that set the scene in Europe for much of the next 50 years; a 'must-read' for professional and amateur historian alike - General The Lord Richards of Herstmonceux GCB CBE DSO, Late Chief of Defence Staff UKMichael Jones has described the death agonies of Nazism in an excellent, vivid and often moving narrative of the ten days between Hitler's suicide on April 30, 1945, and the celebration of VE day on May 9. He has deftly blended the stories of great events and the great figures who shaped them with the experiences of the myriad men and women who carried out their orders - The TimesAn evocative, clear and exciting recreation of the final ten days of the crumbling Third Reich. It is fast paced, exceedingly well written, with some very thoughtful and insightful analysis of the atmosphere between the Great Power leaders on the eve of the Cold War, in particular the sensitive surrender negotiations . . . really well done - Robert Kershaw[Michael] Jones - a master of the vignette - provides an effective retelling of the story. Using an impressive selection of eyewitness accounts, he skips across Europe in that last week of the war - from Reims to Luneburg, Prague to Flensburg - giving an engaging, lively summary of events - BBC HistoryAn absorbing history . . . communicates the pity of the war and its aftermath with a proper sympathy - Sunday TelegraphHitler, broken and despairing, killed himself on 30 April 1945; the war in Europe formally ended on 9 May. Acclaimed historian Michael jones resists the common urge to skip over that gap, unearthing a wealth of intriguing detail, much from primary sources . . . in a year sure to be swamped with war publications, few are likely to offer such novel approaches - Press AssociationAs such a recognisable and universally reviled figure of the 20th century, Adolf Hitler tends to overshadow what happened after his suicide. This book tells that story, as the German capital Berlin crumbled and tensions between the US, UK and Soviet Union rose - History RevealedMichael Jones has woven together the many stories of those terrible ten days in a most compelling fashion - The Spectator